


Lifeheld

by Creative__Writing



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Sleep | Remy Sanders are Siblings, Black Patton, Hispanic Roman, I named Deceit Loki, I promise, Latino Roman, Multi, OMC - Freeform, Original Character(s), Original Universe, PoC Patton, PoC Roman, See you on the other side, They're making friends rn, Unbeta'd, future lamp, i bet you wanna know what pures are, i write this at school then type it up, it's fun, jokes on you they're gonna be polyam eventually, lol nope not for you (yet), love me some older brother Remy, multi-chaptered, not plot heavy yet, rn it seems like moxiety is gonna happen, roman and logan are coming in chapter two, surprise here is roman and logan, tags to come, updates weekly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-20
Updated: 2019-04-01
Packaged: 2019-11-01 11:56:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17866811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Creative__Writing/pseuds/Creative__Writing
Summary: Virgil wanted to know why they were so drained. The government strictly regulated information on Pures, though. There was little about them in the shared curriculum, and books on the topic were limited. It was strange, but without resources, no Lifeheld could learn much more than what the general population did.





	1. 6:00

**Author's Note:**

> warnings: none
> 
> edited mar/20/19

Virgil kept walking, trying not to let his limp show, it made his leg hurt more, but it was more important not to stand out. Not in this neighbourhood, and not on a day when he was specifically instructed to stay on the  _ Lifeheld Only _ side of town. The law stated anyone caught outside the  _ Lifeheld Only _ boundaries were accountable for any ill actions that may be taken against them on the  _ Night of the Pure _ . 

The  _ Night of the Pure _ was a weird concept to him. Why did the  _ Pure  _ need a night? It wasn’t as though those with Life were going to stop them- they didn’t stand a chance. Not when the  _ Pure  _ were statistically stronger than any Life being would ever dream of naturally being. It wasn’t uncommon to find  _ Pure  _ children bullying the  _ Lifeheld _ children in the schoolyard.

Which actually explained Virgil’s injury. The day before, one of the seniors at the  _ Integrated School for Exceptional Pupils _ had felt the fact Virgil lived with fellow  _ Lifeheld  _ people, and had not been born or created by the  _ Pure  _ highly offensive, causing him to go… well, ape shit, for lack of a better word. Ape shit on Virgil for simply existing the ‘wrong’ way. Luckily, one of the more respectable  _ Pures  _ had stepped in scaring off the other, which is why the injured teenager wasn’t in the  _ Lifeheld  _ sector, instead of walking through the rapidly darkening community that Patton Fields lived in. 

It was comical to imagine Patton being scary- he was known around  _ ISEP _ for his cheerful demeanor. No, it wasn’t outward intimidation that had persuaded Loki to fuck off, but instead, it was the status Patton carried. Virgil never spent much time in the wealthy  _ Pure  _ neighbourhoods, they were very exclusive typically, just seeing the houses lined up was enough for him to understand why Loki had scrambled like a worm thrown onto hot asphalt. The houses all had a Victorian aesthetic, with extravagant porches, and three to four storeys (which was two too many, in Virgil’s opinion). 

He felt some weight fall off his shoulders after coming up to a house that almost screamed  _ Fields _ . Maybe it was the good old fashioned mailbox that read the surname in bold letters, or maybe the perfectly groomed lawn with bikes strewn across it. No matter, though, it was obvious enough that the seventeen year old found little doubt it was the right door he had to knock out. While walking up the driveway, there was a slight hammering in his chest. Would he be in trouble for being out during the  _ Night of The Pure _ ? Well… Mr. Fields wasn’t his parent, it would be fine, right?

_ ‘Maybe this could wait until- oh.’ _ The door opened before Virgil could actually raise a hand to hit the solid wood (or back out, both were likely to happen). He was greeted with a woman who had to have been just entering her forties. Her eyes were a warm, welcoming brown, and but her stance was somewhat guarded. She glanced the teenager up and down. There was a critical look in her eye before she sighed. 

“Honey, what are you doing out here? The North Side is no place for you to be!” Perhaps his facial expression betrayed how taken aback Virgil felt- it was a very casual way of speaking, as though they were old friends because she quickly continued. “Sorry, sugar. I’m Martha Fields. You must be here for Patton, but dear, you know it isn’t safe now, right?” How Mrs. Fields knew he wasn’t  _ Pure  _ was beyond Virgil.

Instead, he nodded mutely. “Er- I’m Virgil Masterson. Sorry, I just, I needed to tell Patton something. I can just- go.” The purple haired boy turned on his heel, only to have a disapproving Mom Sigh™ sent at him. 

“You’re already here, I’ll go get Patton, but you aren’t walking home, it’s far too dangerous to go alone.” 

“That really isn’t necess—.”

She shushed Virgil before lightly jogging up the stairs. “Patton, there’s someone here for you, and I’ve got you a job.” 

While Martha had temporarily gone, perhaps talking to her son, he took the time to study the area. The house seemed to have an open plan on the first floor, seeing as from the doorway he could see a lived in living room, one with Barbies strewn around and a few coffee mugs on the table. A ways away there was a kitchen as well, which didn’t make much sense as  _ Pures  _ were known to not require  _ Lifeheld  _ food, but it was, of course, none of Virgil’s business. 

Hearing footsteps come down, the kid looked at his feet, scuffing one toe against the other. Martha seemed to have stayed upstairs, so it was only Patton.

“Hi!” There was confusion in the older’s eyes as he looked down towards Virgil. “I hear you’re here for me?” 

He nodded, “I wanted to say- thanks?” Virgil winced as his voice trailed off to a much higher pitch as he realized how dumb it was to sacrifice safety to thank the other. To be fair, though, he had been thinking that if he didn’t acknowledge what Patton had done, he wouldn’t help Virgil if the situation were to happen again. 

“You’re welcome!” The eighteen year old smiled, “Why are you welcome, though?”

He didn’t even remember-! That made Virgil ten times creepier. “You- uh… helped me out with Loki yesterday.” 

“No need to thank me, kiddo!” Kiddo-? Virgil was only a year younger than Patton! “I was just doing what a decent person should! I can’t stand bullies.” He looked away before smiling once more. “Now we should probably get you home, before it’s officially night.”

Checking his phone, Virgil found the time; 5:38. They had twenty-two minutes. Patton did the same, but with a watch on his wrist, his eyes widening. 

“Alrighty, well we should hit the road!” The senior slipped on a pair of shoes, Virgil failed to notice their house was one where you didn’t wear shoes insides. Interesting. He followed outside, prepared to begin a walk, only to find Patton walk to the garage he had ignored upon the initial house review. 

The car was somewhat new appearing, a van that looked like a rich soccer mom would drive in a sky blue. Not Virgil’s style, but pretty still. 

“Hop in, Virgil! This is Bertha!” 

He did. “Bertha?” 

“Yep!” Patton nodded, doing his seatbelt up and waiting until Virgil did the same to even start the engine. “She’s a  _ Bertha-day _ car.” 

The purple-haired teenager snorted, and looked at the GPS that was equipped. “Can I-?” He questioned, gesturing to it. Patton nodded enthusiastically, setting up the radio. 

When the address was tapped in, and a route mapped, Patton hummed. “I know that road- one of my friends lives there! I practically live there for some weeks!” 

Virgil just nodded. He also lived there some weeks, but- that had to be obvious. 

* * *

 

The rest of the drive had been relatively  silent. Patton was a careful driver, even if he was a little jumpy when someone- a _Pure_ - looked into the car. He danced in his seat to the bubblegum pop music that played on the radio, and never went a mile above the speed limit. Virgil often found it difficult, terribly difficult to relax when there was a driver he didn’t know well, but with the older student, it only took half the ride before he could release the tension in his shoulders. 

Soon enough, the familiar line of a single tree on each property rolled up. Unlike Patton’s neighbourhood, this one had many children still playing around; parents hovering through windows. Outside his own house was the familiar face of Virgil’s older brother. Even with the sunglasses obscuring his face ( _ why _ was he wearing sunglasses? The sun was just going down!), it was evident enough that he was irritated. 

Patton whistled in sympathy as he pulled into the driveway. “Someone’s unhappy.”

“Yeah. Thanks for pointing that out.” The other rolled his eyes. Remy being angry was uncommon. He was never more than irritated at most with Virgil, but it seemed that this time he was legitimately upset. With a long-suffering sigh, Virgil opened the car door, “Uh- thanks-- again. I wouldn’t have gotten out of the  _ Pure  _ district on time if it wasn’t for you.”

Patton just nodded, “Stay safe, kiddo!” With that, the cardigan-clad teenager backed out, driving down the road and back to the North side of town. 

The walk to the landing Remy stood on was daunting. The crunch of gravel under his off-brand canvas shoes was suddenly very interesting; the shoes themselves, too. 

“Virgil,” He greeted.  _ That _ was startling. Remy hardly ever called the shorter male by his full name. Virge, V, anything but Virgil. 

“Hey… Rem,” There was a weak attempt at nonchalance from Virgil. “Whatcha doin’ out here?” 

“Wha-” The brother sent a look to the emo. “What do you mean, ‘what am I doing’?” He flipped up his glasses to rest on top of his head. “You know the day. You  _ know _ you shouldn’t, like, be out without telling me or mum where you’re going on the  _ Night of the Pure _ !” He paced around, “I tried to text you, man, I did- and you didn’t answer me, like, not even once!”

Did he really? Virgil pulled out his phone. There was, in fact, maybe fifty texts from  Remy alone. How did he miss those beforehand? They weren’t recent. “I- yeah. Okay. Valid. I understand.” Virgil raised his arms in mock surrender. 

“I don’t think you do Virge.” Remy sighed. He was usually so lighthearted and fun, it made the… scolding much worse than it would it have been if it was his mother. 

Virgil flushed from the scorn, guilt evident on his face as Remy pulled the younger into a hug. It was more emotionally charged than normal. The embrace lasted too long for the teenager as he wriggled out of Remy’s grasp. “Can we go inside?”

There was a nod, and then the more comforting, warm house welcomed Virgil home. To the left, he could hear the hum of a cooking show that his mother listened to ( _ “Raw chicken again! It’s fucking redder than your beard!” _ ), and to the right was the sound of his brother’s boyfriend banging around in the kitchen. 

“Mom!” Remy called. He looked at Virgil to silently say he couldn’t escape to his bedroom yet. 

The sound of the television turned down. “Yes, Rem?” 

“I found a rat.”

“Hey- mmph!” Virgil tried to protest, but a hand went over his mouth before he could successfully defend himself. 

“A rat-?!” She repeated. Mrs. Masterson was a chef, and rats were one of her declared mortal enemies. She refused to let Virgil buy one for his sixteenth birthday, declaring they were ‘plague children’. “Remy, you know how much I hate- oh.” The fire in her eyes lessened upon seeing Virgil. “Oh! Virge!” She rushed over, squeezing him tightly before smacking the back of his head. “Don’t- don’t  _ do _ that! You scared the shit out of me!” 

Virgil patted her shoulder. “I know, I’m sorry. I had to talk to one of the guys from school. You know how is it, right?”

“It couldn’t have waited until tomorrow?!” 

Virgil shook his head. “It’s okay, though! I got back before 6:00,” He purposely ignored the cough from Remy that covered the ‘barely’ he uttered. 

Mrs. Masterson shook her head, hugging Virgil again before ducking into the living room. “You’re grounded!” She called, jokingly. 

‘ _ Jokes on you, to punish me you’d have to make me stay out of the house _ .’ He thought to himself, fondly smiling at his mother’s antics. 

“Emile’s making dinner,” Remy informed the youngest Masterson, watching him climb the stairs to the bedrooms. “Be down, like… soon-ish?” 

“You got it, Rem.” He nodded, finishing the climb. 

Up in the safety of the dark purple room, Virgil pulled out his journal, writing observations on the  _ Pure  _ neighbourhood, his interactions with two members of the Fields family, and their compassion that was scarce to find directed towards Virgil. 

His journal was a simple one, Moleskin, with doodles and stickers all around the cover. Inside, however, there was a mix of entries, and what Virgil learned about the  _ Pure _ . Bullet points on their lore and history, adding to it as he found new information. The journal was three and a half years old, he started it once being accepted into  _ ISEP _ , joining  _ Pures _ on equal ground. 

The sound of a gel pen scratching on the paper filled Virgil’s room, along with the soft hum of the obscure band,  _ Moose Blood, _ playing as he wrote the day’s events. All too soon, the destresser was interrupted. 

“Virgil! Come downstairs! Dinner!” 


	2. Princess Virgil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil nodded, but an excited gasp soon distracted the group. Elsa just barely came up to his shoulder but she basically bounced on the balls of her feet adding some height. “Hello! I’m Queen Elsa of the Fields Kingdom! You’re obviously a visiting princess,” Virgil pulled a face, “but from where?”
> 
> Patton had a poorly concealed smile on his face, Roman seemed smug with a smirk, and Logan remained rather stoic as Virgil flushed. He subconsciously grabbed the fidget cube he had in his pocket for the interaction.
> 
> “Er- I’m Virgil.”
> 
> Elsa shook her head. “Princess Virgil. You’re too pretty not to be!”
> 
> He pursed his lips. Virgil was always the younger kid, he didn’t know how to act in these situations. “Right… I am- Princess Virgil of… the Masterson Kingdom?”
> 
> “I haven’t heard of that one before!” She spoke, somehow awed with the basic information. “Well, we welcome you to the palace with open arms!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: brief mentions of anxiety, make belief
> 
> edited mar/20/19

The day after the _Night of the Pure_ was always subdued. _Pures_ were tired, and _Lifehelds_ didn’t plan on provoking them any more than just being… alive.

Virgil wanted to know why they were so drained. The government strictly regulated information on _Pures_ , though. There was little about them in the shared curriculum, and books on the topic were limited. It was strange, but without resources, no _Lifeheld_ could learn much more than what the general population did.

_Pure_ children had extra lessons. They would be excused from one of the useless subjects, whether it be music or geography or something else, and learn more. From what Virgil found in elementary, the _Pure_ kids were sworn to some sort of secrecy. One they took with pride and a great amount of seriousness for sixth graders. It was infuriating, the shush that was placed on _Pures_. They were an important part of society, and it wasn’t even legal to learn more.

Mrs. Masterson always said it was Virgil’s inquisitive nature that got him into the _Integrated School for Exceptional Pupils._ Perhaps, he mused, this could be true, but the tests showed it was the crippling fear of failure that pushed him to study. It was also what had Virgil skip a year, starting his Freshman year at _ISEP_ when he was thirteen.

The hallways now, four years later were familiar to Virgil. He didn’t necessarily enjoy the bustle of the morning, but with lethargic _Pures,_ it was more bearable. It was quieter, too. The ninth graders who were often underfoot in the hall were in the designated stream of the hallway, and the music playing over the P.A before the morning bell wasn’t as terrible as it often was.

His first period class was History, and while many of the school’s students held no attachment to the class, Virgil adored it. The teacher didn’t force partner projects, the desks were set up similarly to a lecture hall, and the skills Virgil needed for his dissertations and papers translated over to his study on _Pures_ seamlessly. It was one of the less stressing classes, minus how serious the atmosphere was. It was also, oddly enough, one of the classes with the highest amount of _Pure_ students in it. Proven by how the only other student sat down was Logan Henderson, one of the three _Lifehelds_ that attended. Of course, there were still ten minutes until attendance would be taken.

 

* * *

 

It turned out, only half of the History class showed up, making it a work period for the class’ culminating task. Virgil’s second period Creative Writing was the same way, with more _Lifehelds_ being in class, but less than half of the _Pures_ . It seemed the previous night’s _Night of the Pure_ was more strenuous than typical.

Lunch was insufferable, still. It seemed that most present _Pures_ had their coffee, and that awakened the rest of the student body to be as rambunctious as possible. Way too hyperactive for a Thursday, by any means. That meant it was a good time to hang out in the school’s court. The area was bordered by classrooms meaning anyone there was well behaved and quiet, for the most part.

It was strange, though, for Virgil to hear his name being called. He didn’t think anyone actually knew his name, minus some teachers. Turning around, he found three familiar faces. The first was the one who called his name, Patton of course. Beside the bubbly eighteen year old, though, was both Logan, and Roman Principe.

“Can I help you-?” He winced at the rudeness that had coloured his words. It wasn’t meant to sound snarky, not by any means,

Patton didn’t pay it any mind, however. “I’m so glad I finally caught up to you!” He chirped. “I’ve been trying to find you all day! My mom wanted to know if you got home okay, and she keeps ignoring me saying you were fine. Would it bother you to come over after school?”

Virgil stared for a few moments. They weren’t friends, it was interesting to see how Mrs. Fields was concerned for him though. An iconically mother thing to be worried about. Of course, he couldn’t, in good conscious, leave her to stress about his well being. “I- sure? I guess?”

The taller nodded happily. “Alrighty, great! I’ll catch you after last period, which class is yours?”

‘ _That was forward,’_ Virgil noted. “Madame LaRose,” He finally spoke. “Room 403.”

Patton offered a thumbs up, “Perfect. See you then, Kiddo!”

_Kiddo_ . Despite only being a year or so older. Virgil just shook his head softly to himself watching them walk away. Interestingly enough, Virgil noticed that Patton and Roman both stood taller than Logan. Minisculely, but it was noticeable if you were observant enough, which the emo was. Roman was a lower class _Pure_ , and while it wasn’t conclusive evidence, Virgil briefly wondered if it was a pattern that _Pures_ were taller than _Lifehelds_ , and if the class they were born into had to do with it.

He pulled out the journal briefly, lips quirked up as he noticed a stupid _Supreme_ sticker that Remy stuck on it the previous year. On a new page, he wrote the names of the trio that had just confronted him, along with a new hypothesis.

‘Pure _hierarchy is determined more by genetics and classes such as height or strength than it is by money.’_

 

* * *

 

The rest of the day past slowly as everyone woke up. Nothing worth nothing came up minus Loki deciding to ‘discreetly’ shove him at the end of final period. ‘ _Trickster ‘God’ indeed._ ’ Virgil mused, rubbing his shoulder.

“Oh, Virge!” Ah, and there’s Patton.

The teenager in question stretched his arms over his head, feeling that, yep, there would likely be a bruise on his arm from that. “Virge?” It was essentially unheard of for someone to call Virgil _Virge_ if they weren’t family. Even then, it was still mostly just Remy.

“Yep.” Patton affirmed, popping the ‘p’ of the word. “C’mon! I’m sure Ro and Lo are at the car already!”

‘ _Wait, what?_ ’ Virgil paused. “Uh, yeah. Alright. Sounds good… man.”

Off they went. Patton had long legs, and Virgil found himself struggling to keep up. Part of him wanted to snark and ask if the senior was a basketball player, but ultimately he decided not to. Tall black guys were always asked if they played basketball, and Virgil refused to be one of the obnoxious people who quizzed him on how he used his height.

Room 403 was the on the fourth floor of _ISEP_. Going down four flights of stairs is rough to begin with. Four flights of stairs while keeping up with someone four or five inches taller than you, though? That was absolute hell. Patton hadn’t even been rushing. It was his leisured pace that Virgil was struggling with.

They eventually reached the second floor, where there was only one set of stairs left before ground level when Patton slowed down. He looked about cautiously, before swinging his arms over the banister and _sliding_. Virgil’s cry of alarm went unheard.

The younger barely had enough time to catch his breath before he had to catapult himself down the stairs to ground level. There, stood Patton. Completely unharmed. Still, Virgil’s heart thrummed in his chest, at though he had been running alongside a train for a few minutes.

“What the _fuck_ , dude!” He scolded, once he was able to breath once more.

Patton’s carefree grin dropped slightly, and his eyes held a mix of curiosity and concern. “What’s wrong, Kiddo?”

“You could’ve gotten hurt!”

He nodded with a contemplative look. “I’m sorry- I didn’t mean to worry you, Virge. It’s just so much funner to do it that way!”

Virgil shook his head with a shrug. “Whatever. Let’s go.”

They walked side by side for most of the walk across the school in silence. Their feet had fallen into step, and they were just about to reach the door to student parking when Patton decided to break the quiet. “Are you mad at me?”

Without missing a beat, the other snorted. “No.”

“You seem mad...”

“Well I’m not.”

“Are you upset with me, then?”

Virgil shook his head. “No, Patton. I just need time to get over the anxiety spike.” At the blank look, he shoved his hands into the pants of his school uniform. “I have an anxiety disorder. Sometimes a lot of things pile together and my fight or flight kicks in, which then releases a lot of adrenaline for me. It’s like… natural caffeine for a brief few minutes before an inevitable crash.

Patton nodded as they traversed the parking lot. “Oh--.” He looked to the shorter, “Logan and Roman are coming with us, I think.”

‘ _Fine with me. I still think it was weird to have been invited._ ’

He didn’t voice that, instead just nodding. Didn’t make much of a difference to him.

Bertha eventually came into sight, as did the two leaning against her. Or- the one. Roman seemed to be mimicking a Greaser, serenading Logan, who stood with his lips drawn in straight line.

“Oi, Princey!” Patton called with a laughed…? No. Patton called with a giggle. “Get off Bertha you buffoon!”

The other complied, but stuck his tongue out, “She loves it!” Roman joked, patting her side mirror.

The other two rolled their eyes, one good naturedly, and the other infrustration. “Sure she does, big guy.” Patton laughed. “Get in the car, you silly geese.”

Virgil got sat in one of the back seats, along with Logan, because Roman and Patton absolutely had to sing to Disney together in the font of the vehicle. It was weirdly charming, if that's what friends did- he didn’t really know.

“Virgil, is it?” The voice to his left made the teenager look over, nodding slightly. Logan adjusted his tie before continuing, “I do not believe we have formally met. I am Logan Henderson.” A hand was extended.

He took the hand offering a small quirk of the lips, which could be considered a friendly smile. “Masterson.”

Logan looked at Virgil with a critical eye. “You’re a _Lifeheld_ , correct?”

Virgil paused. What sort of question was that to ask an interloper in your ‘group’. “What’s it to you?” … and that came out much snarkier than intended. “Sorry, sorry. Yes. I am.”

To his credit, the spectacle clad male didn’t bat an eye at the less than savoury words that were uttered. Instead, he hummed. “As am I. You are in Mr. Roberts _History of Pures Throughout the Century_.” It wasn’t a question seeking confirmation, Virgil noted.

“Uh- yeah. That’s me. Do you have any idea what your thesis topic is gonna be?” Ah, small talk. The bane of Virgil’s existence.

Logan nodded, at least, carrying on the conversation. “I am doing a comparison between the treatment of _Lifeheld_ and _Pure_ soldiers during World War Two. It was… astonishingly unfair.” From his spot in the driver’s seat, Patton winced. Perhaps they spoke often about injustice between the two communities, or his parental unit(s?) has taught the senior well.

Virgil hummed. “That’s awesome-“ He was given a look and backtracked. “No, I mean… it sucks that it happened, but awesome that you thought of such an interesting topic. I’m struggling to think of a decent one.” He picked at the skin around his thumb.

“I have a list if you would like to skim over it to find a few ideas.”

He shook his head. “No- I couldn’-.”

Logan cut him off. “I insist. I do not need the other tens of choices I had debated.”

“No, really, it’s fine. I’m sure I’ll—“

“The list will be available tomorrow during history.”

Virgil sighed. He wouldn’t win the debate. Instead, he mused, he would have to find a way to say thanks to the nerd.

Just as the conversation had veered to an end, the drive to the Fields house did as well. Patton had just pulled to a stop ending the Disney music, and Roman had essentially catapulted out of the vehicle, causing an alarmed yelp from the former.

The other two hopped out, giving Virgil a few moments to himself. A few moments for him to ground himself in the new and different environment. He took a deep breath before stepping out of the car as well, avoiding Patton tapping on the glass, because he was most certainly the type to do such a thing. Patton and Roman were loud and full of laughter during the short walk to the large house, whereas Logan and himself seemed to hang back; observing instead. Virgil briefly wondered if the habit was due to their similar status of _Lifeheld_. He couldn’t write anything in his journal, but filed the hypothesis in the back of his mind.

“Keep up, Virge!” There was a small, teasing grin on Patton’s face as he called out from over his shoulder. Virgil hadn’t even realized how far behind he had fallen.

“Oh, right- sorry,” He stuffed his hands into his sweater, careful to keep a few paces between him and the blockade of friends.

The door opened, and after a few silent, almost tense moments, the noise was back. Laughter, and a call of _‘mom we’re here!’_ bursting throughout the house.

There was a young giggle, and Roman lit up. “Princess Elsa!”

The lump under a blanket on the couch moved, and a young girl, no older than maybe twelve jumped up. “That’s _Queen_ Elsa to you, Prince Roman.”

He nodded sagely, “Forgive me, your highness.” Suddenly the tall teenager was on the floor at the girl, Elsa’s, feet. “I beg of you! Forgive my ill spoken words or I may never breathe easy once more!” It seemed the boisterous male had more skill in acting than Virgil had previously thought.

Elsa hummed, and Roman seemed to hang on to her every word with baited breath, a testament to his abilities. “I accept your apology,” he began a smile, “but!” It was dropped once more, “If you do it again I will have your head!”

Logan stepped forward. “Your majesty. If I may?” She gestured for him to continue, and Roman got to his feet. “It would be wise to send Ro- _Prince_ Roman to the dungeon for his treachery. We may never know what will come from his mouth in the future.”

Ignoring the offended squawk that came from Roman, Elsa nodded in consideration. “That is true, Squire. I call upon my Jester-Knight!”

Patton moved beside her, and Virgil noted how alike they looked, high cheekbones, goofy smiles, and relaxed posture. It felt very much like Virgil was interrupting something, but none of the others seemed to mind as they continued on.

“Yes, m’lady?”

“We need a third opinion. Should we sent Prince Roman to the dungeon?”

Patton shook his head, somberly. “I fear that Princess Isabella and Prince Nicholas would not take kindly to hear that their beloved brother was sent to our dungeons. Squire Logan is suggesting… a potential war!” Patton’s eyes widened comically, causing his sister to laugh once more.

“May the court part?” Mrs. Fields suddenly appeared. Elsa, Roman, Logan, and Patton all went to ways, allowing her to see Virgil. She smiled warmly. “So it seems Pat- sorry,” She nodded to Elsa, “that our Jester-Knight escorted you back to your kingdom safely?”

Virgil nodded, but an excited gasp soon distracted the group. Elsa just barely came up to his shoulder but she basically bounced on the balls of her feet adding some height. “Hello! I’m Queen Elsa of the Fields Kingdom! You’re _obviously_ a visiting princess,” Virgil pulled a face, “but from where?”

Patton had a poorly concealed smile on his face, Roman seemed smug with a smirk, and Logan remained rather stoic as Virgil flushed. He subconsciously grabbed the fidget cube he had in his pocket for the interaction.

“Er- I’m Virgil.”

Elsa shook her head. “ _Princess_ Virgil. You’re too pretty not to be!”

He pursed his lips. Virgil was always the younger kid, he didn’t know how to act in these situations. “Right… I am- Princess Virgil of… the Masterson Kingdom?”

“I haven’t heard of that one before!” She spoke, somehow awed with the basic information. “Well, we welcome you to the palace with open arms!”

“Great- thank you, Queen Elsa.”

Patton chose then to step in, thank the stars. “Now, your highness, we must go finish some courtly duties. Excuse us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was really fun to be honest. i enjoyed writing elsa. i love her. 
> 
> everything is unbeta'd and i don't like to read over my writing, so if you notice anything, yell at me in the comments. leave a kudo if you enjoyed... and wear your seat belt.


	3. Bonding Boys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil nodded. “That’s… adorable. You’ve all adopted her as a sister, then, huh?”  
> They nodded, and Roman took the chance to speak once again. “She’s a sweet girl,"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: some cursing at the end, sad attempt at using text skins
> 
> edited mar/20/19

 

Patton’s room was large to say the least. He had a… fairly big bed, adorned with multiple pillows, which were immediately collapsed onto by their owner. Logan commandeered a rolling chair that had originally been positioned near a desk to the right. Roman on the other hand found himself on a bean bag. The ease in which the trio had fallen into place showed how close they had been. Virgil was stuck  at the door frame uncomfortably. He had been invited to prove to Mrs.Fields that he wasn’t harmed, right? So what was he meant to do now? Walk home? 

Patton must have had some sort of sixth sense, feeling the youngest’s discomfort because he sat up with a welcoming smile. The same one Martha and Elsa Fields also sported. “Take a seat, Virge! We don’t bite!”

“Unless asked,” Roman added, laughing when Patton shot him a look.

“Logan and me-”

Logan interjected, “Logan and I.”

There was a long winded sigh from Patton. “Logan and _ I _ don’t bite, and you have to ask Roman to, so you should be safe.”

Virgil nodded, dropping his bag to the floor. He cautiously edged towards the group before changing paths. There was a flash of disappointment across Patton’s face, until he hopped up, sitting on the desk.

Logan looked up at him with analyzing eyes. “That is an entirely incorrect way to be seated.”

There was a nod. “Yeah- I’ve gotta establish dominance somehow.”

Roman snorted. “Not the right ‘how’ there, Dark ‘n Brooding.” 

“Totally is, Princey.” 

From there, the conversation fell naturally. Virgil took the time to mostly watch how the friends all interacted. Roman seemed to enjoy infuriating Logan by creating impossible situations and arguing that they were plausible. Patton would laugh, but mediate if anyone was getting overly heated. Logan was easily frustrated, Roman as well, but he seemed to keep a ‘chill’ facade while his voice rose in passion. Patton seemed content to sit and listen in on the conversation, just following with a smile. He’d catch Virgil’s eye every so often, mouthing ‘you okay?’ It was- weird, but… okay. The sentiment was appreciated, so Virgil dealt with it and would nod. 

“... I understand that  _ Hamilton _ is a well-written musical, Roman. I am not saying it is not! I am simply pointing that is contains many historical inaccuracies— Hamilton was one of many historical figures who has been speculated to be a  _ Lifeheld _ , yet there is not one reference to it in the music!”

“Because it wasn’t related to his story!”  Roman huffed. “What else have you got?” 

“There are claims in the reprise of  _ Story of Tonight _ that Alexander was the first of the ‘revolutionary trio’ to have gotten married. Another falsehood. He was the last.” 

The theatre geek threw his hands in the air, exasperated. “Lin’s version of the characters are not meant to be completely accurate! It’s like- respectful historical fanfiction!”

Virgil snickered despite himself, and he covered his mouth mortified. 

They had all turned to look at him- throughout the three some-odd years attended at the  _ Integrated School for Exceptional Pupils _ , Virgil never laughed alone in class. Only when there was enough noise to drown him out. He had almost made it forbidden in a way, and he had one class with each of the others a year, minimum (perks of a private school), so they must have all been perceptive enough to have noticed. 

The eyes on him made Virgil grow uncomfortable. He threw an uneasy pair of finger guns. An astounding silence. Seriously- of course the only time it happened in real life, it happened to Virgil. 

“So- historical fanfiction?” He tried.

Roman launched himself from his stupor. “Exactly!  _ Hamilton _ was not written to be analyzed with a historical accuracy lense!” 

Logan was the second to break. “Please never refer to anything as ‘historical fanfiction’ ever again. It is… unnerving.” 

“It isn’t wrong though!” The other argued.

“However, if someone…”

Virgil tuned out the bickering and observed Patton. The tallest had lost focu- he seemed to instead be looking behind him, eyes glazed over. He was distracted when the two nerds high fived. 

Patton recovered masterfully in a practiced manner. “You two are ridiculous.” Perhaps the joking quip was in character, but it was vague as well. No comment on the prior discussion that caused the little tiff, or a discussion of ‘what they learned’ (Virgil shuddered subconsciously. Every time his sophomore  _ Local, National, and International Politics  _ class had a debate, Patton would always get the last word with the dialogue had taught… that teacher loved Patton).

“Maybe so, Padre,” Roman agreed, “however, we  _ are _ efficient!”

Logan scoffed, though his tone, posture, and expression held no malice. “Incorrect. It took us-” a glance to his watch, “-roughly seventeen minutes and nine seconds to reach a conclusion.” 

“That isn’t necessarily a long time,” Virgil threw in. Three pairs of eyes fell to look at him, “I mean…. Some arguments last years. Some. hous. The length is-”

“Objective.” He finished. Logan finished. He offered a hint of smile. “I agree wholeheartedly.”

 

The conversations lulled briefly,and Virgil almost worried he was somehow to blame until Patton spoke up. “Does anyone  _ not _ have homework?”

The two of them shook their heads, one with certainty, the other confused. The actor, however, raised his hand, causing Patton to clap excitedly. 

“Okay, perfect! Can you write a list of issues for Court later?”

_ ‘Court?’ _ Virgil wondered.

He figured his interest was visible in his expression, seeing as Roman jumped in to explain. “Court is something we do for Elsa. Martha didn’t want her to think Queens were pampered, so we’ve been making up issues that arise in the kingdom and she has to find solutions for them.

“Her report card says she’s shaping up to be an excellent leader,” Patton almost bragged, as he beamed with pride. 

“My independent study also shows that it is an efficient cognitive development activity.”

Virgil nodded. “That’s… adorable. You’ve all adopted her as a sister, then, huh?”

They nodded, and Roman took the chance to speak once again. “She’s a sweet girl, and best friends with the twins,” Virgil raised an eyebrow. “The twins are my younger siblings. They’re both a year younger than Elsa and can’t wait for their coronation.” 

“Wait- when’s that?”

“April 3rd, also known as their tenth birthday, Logan supplied. Virgil supposed that was a testament to his age-guessing skills… though to be fair, she  _ was _ younger than twelve. 

Before he could respond, though, Patton cut in. “Right! So what homework should we all be doing?”

“Maths and Chemistry,” Logan replied.

Virgil’s was, “History and Maths.”

He nodded. “I’ve got Maths and Creative Writing, so we can work on that!”

Virgil was surprised- though Mathematics was a virtually solo class, so he didn’t feel too bad not knowing the two were in his class. It wasn’t too odd, though. All four of the teenagers seemed to be at about the same academic level- well, maybe Logan was a little higher, but the high level of Maths was  _ Mathematical Functions for a Productive Society _ , so he had to suffer. Roman had already zoned out a few feet away, diligently scribbling away for the Court session. 

 

It was surprising how quickly Virgil finished his math with the other two. They divvied up the questions into thirds and shared once finished, explaining concepts or trying to fix misunderstandings. Somehow, Patton managed to finish his work on time while simultaneously trying to poke Logan, who batted the attacking hands with the hint of a smile 

Just as they packed away their books, Roman sat up from his previously hunched position, wearing a triumphant grin. “Ta-da!” 

“It took you this long to finish?” Logan gave him an unimpressed look. 

“Well- yeah! There’s a lot going on today, y’know, with the arrival of  _ Princess Virgil _ ,” he joked, lightly nudging the former, to which Virgil rolled his eyes. 

“So-” Patton dragged out the vowel, “whatcha got?”

Roman puffed his chest proudly as he read, “Both Lord Twi-Bears do not enjoy their neighbour Kanga and all the parties they insist on throwing after dinner.” The others nodded. “Lady Isabelle does not want to marry the foreign King Arthur, she’s fallen in love with Commoner Teddy and needs approval to break the engagement.” 

“Tea,” Virgil noted. 

“Lots,” He agreed, somberly, before breaking the act. “The orphanage is becoming overcrowded and is running low on funds. Increasing their funding will take away some of your own profit.”

“The money is her allowance,” Logan added. “She is not aware of it, but it is put into savings, and on their next vacation, she will be given it as spending money. It also has interest.” 

“That is super cool- your family is lucky to have the means to do that for her.”

Patton nodded in agreement. “Yeah- we really are.”

Apparently if you came to the Fields hom-  _ ahem _ , Kingdom, you got fed. Patton had almost looked appalled at the mere suggestion to leave without dinner, so Virgil was staying even longer than previously anticipated and— fuck. Virgil was grounded.

In the background he could hear Elsa shriek ‘Prince Roman!’

He then felt his heart ache. Virgil loved his family, really, he did. He loved Remy’s random bursts of asshole-y brotherness. He loved his mother’s insisted ‘family nights’ where Remy, her, Emile (Remy’s boyfriend), and himself would sit and watch something on the television for an hour and a half, but the house just didn’t have the life that the Fields did. His house was quiet most of the time; between jobs, and school. It was so quiet that Virgil usually had YouTube videos playing in the background while he worked just so he wouldn’t feel so alone in the small home. 

Dinner was exactly how you’d expect it to be in such a normal family. Mrs. Fields had made chicken with mash potatoes and peas. It was delicious, and the conversation was joyful. Elsa practically buzzed in her seat when she heard that she could hold her Court session that night, so long as nothing came up, and in the large space, it seemed like nothing could really bother them. 

When everyone was excused, Virgil had tried to help with the dishes, but was shooed from the kitchen to watch Queen Elsa make choices that affected her kingdom while the dishwasher was loaded. 

When Virgil took a seat, he found they were just starting the orphanage query.

The young girl scrunched her face in thought. “Well, how many children are in the orphanage?”

“Over twenty, your highness,” Logan answered.

Her eyes bulged. “That’s how many kids are in my class! Yes! Add to their allowance!” She exclaimed. 

Patton smiled with pride, and from the side of his eyes, Virgil could see Mrs. Fields doing the same. In fact, all of them seemed pleased with the answer. 

Logan cleared his throat. “Right. They only need five dollars of your revenue to stay afloat. How much will you be donating?”

“Ten.” Elsa immediately declared. “I don’t want children in  _ my _ kingdom suffering.”

“Very noble of you, m’lady,” Virgil commented. 

“Of course, Princess Virgil!” She agreed, “I’m very noble.”

He snorted, “Oh, and very humble, too.”

“Humble?” She repeated. 

“It means you don’t brag!” Patton explained, with a smile. “It was sarcasm, your majesty.”

She nodded, and Virgil felt his vibrate in his pocket for the tenth time. He stood up. “I should be heading home now.”

“You sure?” Mrs. Fields called from the kitchen. “You don’t have to, darling.”

“Thank you, Ma’am, but I really do.” 

“Queen Elsa,” Virgil turned as he heard someone address the girl, “May we continue Court later? I believe we have a princess to escort home.” 

She nodded, “Yes! We can’t have the Dragon Witch getting him!” 

“Exactly! So our party must go. You will be able to protect the Kingdom without us, right?” Roman questioned, kneeling to Elsa in the fashion that a knight on TV would. 

“I sure will! But you hafta go,  _ now _ .” 

Then they were escorted out the door.

 

* * *

 

“Elsa likes you.” Logan stated, as they began driving down the road. There was a chorus of agreements from Roman and Patton. “While you were talking to Martha, she told Patton she hoped  _ Princess Virgil _ would arrive on more royal visitations. 

Virgil chuckled as he scrolled through his phone.

 

remington  
  
sorry. omw home now.  
  
mom is PO'd  
  
shit, okay. sorry again.  
  
have you like- never been grounded b4  
  
...  
  
u havent?? lmaoooo  
  
whatever. see you soon.

He bit his lip. Boy was he dreading the silence now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay hi-- 
> 
> so isabelle and arthur are characters in my friend's book Fly Away on Amazon, so i wanted an allusion to that, lmao. 
> 
> once again, not edited. and i likely won't be posting next week since i will be on vacation. i will be writing, though, so i shouldn't get too far behind. 
> 
> if you find any mistake yell at me in the comments-- and also leave reviews/comments whatever those are and kudos. thank you for reading ♥


	4. Sixty-Two Years

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “That’s exactly the thing Pat,” Roman patted their friend’s shoulder while Logan began to speak, and sent the Lifeheld a look that clearly said ‘be nice’. “This beach hasn’t had a Pures Only law since 1956; that is sixty-two years. I have just as much of a right to be here are you! Those people are such selfish, racist, asinine—.”  
> “Assholes,” Roman finished, smiling goofily when Patton reprimanded him over his choice of language.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: light racism/classism (they don't like lifehelds), hints toward childish parenting, unhealthy parenting
> 
> edited april 13th 2019

Patton, not wanting to seem like a stalker, pulled out of Virgil’s driveway quickly once they were sure he had arrived inside safely.

“I like him,” Roman spoke decisively, breaking the smooth voice of Sam Smith that had been previously playing. 

“I suppose he’s interesting,” agreed Logan, who once again got stuck in the back seat while the other  _ Pure _ stole shotgun.

Patton grinned widely enough that it was almost a wonder he hadn’t pulled a muscle, “So we can keep him?”

“Well—”

“Hell yeah!” Roman cheered, “Let’s keep Three Days Pain.”

“You cannot—”

“Please, Lo?” Patton asked, glancing at the other through the rearview mirror, and immediately hitting the breaks, “... oops.”

The teenager questioned fixed his tie, “Firstly, Roman and myself would like to keep living—”

“Debatable.”

He ignored the dramatic boy. “- So it would be in everyone’s best interest of you keep your eyes on the road,” There was a pause as he waited for the advice to be accepted or ignored. 

“Gotcha,” Patton nodded, waiting for the continuation.

“Secondly, we cannot ‘keep’ Virgil,” both  _ Pures _ pouted, “we must gain his friendship before you can ‘take’ him.”

“Yes!” Roman fist pumped the air. “Then he can come to the Twins’ coronation!”

“... I’m sure he’ll be thrilled,” Logan quipped, hiding the hint of a smile by checking his phone quickly. 

 

Logan strolled beside Patton, debating plot holes in Harry Potter while Roman galavanted about, projecting lyrics to Disney songs so loud that his previous directors would be proud.   

“You see, I just do not understand how a Basilik could fit through the plumbing of Hogwarts,” he complained, “it is illogical and virtually impossible.

“Lo- they’re  _ wizards _ ,” Patton argued, snickering, “they hardly know basic math— they don’t need logic.”

“Yes they do! How else would they—”

Someone in the vicinity coughed, and suddenly the two seniors became aware of all the dirty and scandalized looks being thrown all around them. Roman, who had been singing up until the other two had fallen silent was quick to stride over when he realized something had gone wrong. He glared when he caught eyes with someone who held scrutiny on their faces.

“Hello, pals!” He greeted, his voice managing to hold both a cocky, dangerous edge to it while staying boisterous. Challenging people to say something.

People are cowardly, though, and when their ideas are challenged, they keep to themselves, making the young Principe teen’s effective. 

“Let’s go this way,” His demeanor switched back to it’s typical way, and he jutted his thumb to the boardwalk leading to the beach. “It’ll be warm and awesome!”

Patton’s frown due to the group of people changed to a small smile; tentative and alert, and wrong on the jolly boy’s face. Logan seemed more detached than anything- luckily he was yet to be too far gone, and continued to respond to his friends’ words. 

So they went, sand giving way under their weight.  _ Pures _ gave them looks, but once they had gone far enough down the beach, no one had the desire to speak out against them.The sun began to set when they sat down.

“I’m so sorry, Lo! I forgot we were at the  _ ‘Pure’ _ beach,” Patton blurted. 

“That’s exactly the thing Pat,” Roman patted their friend’s shoulder while Logan began to speak, and sent the  _ Lifeheld _ a look that clearly said ‘be nice’. “This beach hasn’t had a  _ Pures Only _ law since 1956; that is sixty-two years. I have just as much of a right to be here are you! Those people are such selfish, racist, asinine—.”

“Assholes,” Roman finished, smiling goofily when Patton reprimanded him over his choice of language.

“In colloquial terms, I suppose that is what I had been getting at,” he agreed, his lips turning up.

The underlying tension that had followed the friends seemed to dissipate as they continued on through the hours- then Logan’s phone chimed.

“Oh dear! It’s almost ten!” Patton exclaimed, checking his own phone while Logan answered his text.

“So Lolo’s  _ mummy _ Gwen must be wooking for him,” Roman joked, recreating a baby voice. He didn’t appear remotely perturbed when Logan shoved him lightly, judging by his laughter. 

“It was  _ actually _ Courtney, thank you,” Logan corrected. There was almost the sticking out of his tongue, but he composed himself last minute.

“Well, we’ve gotta go, then!” Patton interrupted, jumping up, and consequently covering the others with sand. “Cabbage go!”

“... cabbage?”

“Instead of lettuce, like let us?”

 

“Bye Lo!” Called Patton, waving exuberantly from the driver’s window. 

“See ya, Poindexter,” Roman echoed, sending a two digit salute instead of waving. 

The prim and proper male nodded, “I expect to see you both in class tomorrow. Good day.”

The oldest snorted, rolling his eyes fondly at their emotionally challenged friend, and once Logan shut the door, they drove off. 

The silence, minus some Hatsune Miku song Roman decided to play, was comfortable They were tired, thanks to post- _NoTP_ , so the two most energetic friends felt a little bit more than drained after an entire day of fuckery. 

“You know, you don’t have to watch both Lo and Virgil while they go into their houses? This isn’t exactly a dangerous neighbourhood, Padre.” 

That was true, Patton nodded, but it wasn’t the most secure either. There were a few known drug houses within a five mile radius, and even though most of the streetlights worked, Patton still worried. He pursed his lips while trying to articulate his response. “I know that, but… I feel like with Dad’s job, I’m obligated to protect them somehow.” 

Roman patted his knee, “I doubt they know what your-  _ our  _ fathers do,” he comforted.

“But I know!” He reminded. “It doesn’t settle well on my conscience to not do anything. What have they done to deserve what society throws at them? Nothing!”

“Okay, okay,” he conceded. “I know- I get it too.”

The music shifted to  _ A Million Dreams _ , and they sang together, pretending that for the moment their fathers didn’t exist.

 

When Virgil woke up the next morning, the house was tense and silent. The previous night Remy had gone off to Emile’s apartment, sending his younger sibling an apologetic text afterwards that he didn’t have the energy to respond to.

He hopped out of bed (read: rolled onto the floor) and winced. The noise was a lot, but luckily his mother didn’t wake up from it. He sighed in relief. Based on previous arguments (were they still considered arguments if he just sat back and was yelled at the entire time?0, his mother would give him the silent treatment for another three days and then act like nothing happened. Like always. Luckily, whenever she did this, she didn't care about where Virgil was. Perfect. 

He wasted almost no time, arriving to school about an entire hour before the bell rang. No classes would be open to hide in, and the library didn’t open until second period. All he could really do was hang out in the cafeteria until more students arrived. Great.

The school building was always weird when it was empty.  _ ISEP _ had a few boarding students, but even they weren’t awake yet. He stepped into the cafeteria, and lo and behold it was emp- no wait, there was one person. One person with black hair and-

Logan. It was Logan. What on earth was Logan doing at school so early? 

Apparently Vigil hadn’t made his arrival quiet enough, though, because Logan managed to look up just as he walked down to the general area. He offered a curt wave to the emo. 

He knew Logan was just… formal like that, but the less rational part of his brain whispered that maybe the older just hadn’t enjoyed how Virgil had imposed on his time with his friends, and maybe he was being passive aggressive and it was a small warning that Virgil just fuck off while he was ahea-

“You do not typically arrive at this hour, do you?” Oh. He was talking. “I know I am, but I only ever see you here on the odd occasion at,” Logan looked at his wrist, or rather his watch, “seven thirty in the morning. Do you have an early morning club or sport?”

_ ‘Pfft, no.’  _

Virgil shook his head. “I’m just- getting out of the house… y’know?” Well, that didn’t sound good to an outsider. He was quick to backtrack, “Not for-  _ that _ reason. I was just- uh… bored? Yes! Bored. Bored is good.” 

The darker haired male looked at Virgil with a mix of worry, curiosity, and confusion- though it was, to be fair, well disguised as perhaps being intrigued. “I see. Well, it is comforting to hear it is not for… ‘that’ reason, as you stated.” He looked down at the books he had sprawled around him, and straightened up. “Oh, I have the list of topics for History, let me…”

Virgil watched as Logan pulled out a folder, one that appeared immaculately kept, organized to a T. He flipped through pages until he pulled one out. It was written on lined paper, but almost appeared printed. 

“Here you are.”

“Right- thank you, it’s- it’s greatly appreciated,” Virgil murmured as he scanned the list. They were all intriguing, and he hoped he’d be able to do one of them justice. “Why are you here so early?” 

He gestured to a stack of papers, tucked neatly in the corner of the lunch table. “I tutor students on Friday mornings, and occasionally the computer club requires my aid with programming.”

Virgil blinked. That was a lot of brain for a Friday- he didn’t think he’d ever be able to accomplish that much, no matter how hard he studied. “I- oh. Good for… you?”

“So you got what you always wanted!” A loud voice sang, scaring Virgil out of his skin.

“Roman,” Logan greeted with a nod. “Almost right on time, I see.” 

“Yup!” The energetic male confirmed, “And look! You found Count Chocula!”

_ ‘Count Chocula?’ _ He wondered. 

“Actually, he found me, though he is here now, yes.” 

“Now all we need is Pat!” 

Logan looked down at his phone, turning it on quickly before he put it back face down on the table. “He has yet to send a text, so he has likely overslept. He will almost certainly arrive just before the first bell rings.” 

The  _ Pure _ nodded, and he took a seat at the table, leaving Virgil awkwardly standing, only moving once he realized how uncomfortable it must have been for the other two, and taking a seat on the end of the table.

“So what are you doing here so early, Pray for the Wicked?” 

Virgil rested his elbow on his knee and leaned into his palm, “I could ask you the same question, Princey.”

Roman smirked and opened his mouth to give some retort, but Logan cut him off before he had the chance to speak. “Roman has early morning rehearsals. It is almost tech week,” Virgil winced. Based off Remy’s old theatre experiences, he could safely say tech week is a pain in the ass. “Virgil is here for fun.”

That elicited a weird look from the former, but Virgil couldn’t thank Logan enough that he hadn’t recounted Virgil’s painfully worded explanation. 

  
They spent the rest of the hour chatting about various topics- Roman’s musical, Logan’s ‘idiotic’ pupils, and Virgil’s… nothing, really, he just contributed to whatever the other two wanted to talk about. Roman parted ways with the  _ Lifehelds _ before the first bell could go, and they managed to say hi to Patton before they had rushed through the crowds to History. It was weird to walk in with someone and not just beside someone. Virgil hadn’t really entered a class with a friend by his side since maybe third grade- and that friendship didn’t last long nor did it end well- but that could be a problem for another day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! sorry this took so long to get out! i wrote this in about two days bc i felt guilty. it hasn't been edited, but it will be eventually. until then... go listen to marianas trench's new album and go take a shower.
> 
> also fun fact, i hate this chapter. it's just relevant to the plot and the help explain the universe a little better.
> 
> comments and votes are lovely,
> 
> \- jey


	5. Deficit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Virgil,” He jerked up from his phone, hearing Roman and Patton harmonizing his name.
> 
> “... yes?”
> 
> Logan pinched the bridge of his nose. “They’ve been doing this for… three minutes now because you zoned in on your phone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not an april fool's chapter lol
> 
> warnings: bullying (at the beginning), use of a slur (the slur is unique to this universe, i believe), and i think that's all
> 
> deficit is basically a way for pures to demean lifehelds; it comes from when lifehelds were thought to be stupid, almost animals, and thus lacking compared to pures. 
> 
> also i introduce you to a new guy
> 
> edited april 13th 2019

Virgil was lost, but it’s okay. He just had to stick to one side of the hallway and he’d find an exit eventually. Yeah, maybe all of the halls looked the same, but he couldn’t be lost forever— he wasn’t Arthur Read. 

One may wonder how, exactly, Virgil got lost in his school of four years, and he was going to be honest, he wasn’t even sure. He only had so many classes, and in such a large school, too. He never went up to the third floor south wing, why would he? He wasn’t at fault here. All they carried was dusty fabric that smelled like Grandma’s attic.

No one ever needed the fabric halls, either, as far as Virgil was aware. Usually, it was just Seniors tricking Fresdhmen to go up and hide during the first few weeks of school and then it remained deserted… but if that was the case, then what was  _ that _ ?

A bump rang through the expansive corridor, and Virgil hunched in on himself. Ghosts weren’t real, and animals had no point of entry, so who?

“Oh, Virgil! My old friend!” Spoke a voice. It was sweet- sickly so. Theatrical, threatening in dose. Calculating. And cold.

“Loki,” He replied, his voice clipped.

The male stepped out from the shadows, revealing the classmate, his normal eye on display, and the one typically contact-adorned covered with an eyepatch.

“Well, don’t be jumping for joy,” the afronted teenager quipped, his lips upturned, forming an unsettling smirk. 

Virgil took a step back, unnerved. Loki had always been the dictionary definition of a bully; he attacked the younger routinely, and he was responsible for his ankle (that  _ still _ hurt if he tried to flex it). He took a step back to match it.

“Leave me alone,” The  _ Lifeheld _ demanded.

That made Loki chuckle. Virgil winced as he took another step back, and— oh, cool. A wall. Great. The bully stepped forward, effectively caging him. 

“Found your voice,  _ Deficit _ ?” He flinched away.  _ ‘Deficit’ _ . 

The reaction made Loki grin once more. He looked joyous, and it made Virgil sick. 

“I- I never, lost- my voice,” his heart was beating so fast it was a wonder it didn’t burn a hole in his chest (jeez, that sounded painful). His voice shook like it was in front of the entire United Nations giving a speech on why they sucked. His breath was uneven and choppy, like waves on the ocean.

“I  _ totally _ believe you.”

Virgil bit his lip, and Loki had pulled back an arm, and- oh God, it was flying towards him- he closed his eyes, waiting for the impact. 

To his surprise, nothing happened. Well, actually,  _ something  _ happened. Loki gasped in pain- and then moved away from his victim. That had never happened before. The black haired  _ Lifeheld  _ opened an eye, to find another man in front of him, speaking in a rushed and almost threatening way to the bully. Virgil was perplexed. He had never seen the newcomer before. Even more intriguing, though, was that when he angrily ( _ angrily? What was he mad about? _ ) pointed to the opposite direction that Virgil had been walking, Loki followed (Loki  _ never _ followed- nonetheless running with his tail between his legs). 

The lockers behind him were a saving grace, the only thing preventing him from slumping to the ground. He closed his eyes once again, working on breathing properly once again. Footsteps echoed and stopped just in front of him. 

“Are you alright?” The voice was laced with concern, one that Virgil hadn’t encountered in strangers often- actually, he could almost say never. 

He pushed himself off the wall, knees shaking, but it’s fine, it was whatever. The saviour in front of him was maybe two or three inches taller than Virgil himself. His hair down at his jaw, dark, thick, and— focus!

“Yeah- I’m fi-ine. A little shaken, but good,” he confirmed, shoving his hands into his pants pockets. 

“Good. I would hate to think that slimy excuse of a  _ Pure _ had hurt you somehow,” the sincerity in this person’s voice was… weird. It put Virgil a little on edge with how out of the blue it came.

“Thanks? I guess…” There was a pause, and eyes on him, expectantly. “Oh- yeah,” unsurely, he stuck out his hand for the other to shake, “I’m Virgil Masterson.”

He took it, his grip firm, oddly professional. “It’s lovely to meet you, Virgil. I’m Nico Almonte,” Nico took a moment to look sheepish. “I’m new here, and am a little lost.”

_ That’s  _ why Virgil didn’t know him. “You- got lost in the most unused—” he shook his head. “I get that, I guess.”

 

It was just Virgil’s luck that his class was just beside the one Nico had gotten lost on his way to. They spent ten minutes escaping the fabric wing, and  ended up talking more than his anxiety preferred, though there was no imminent threat, so he supposed he was just being overly cautious, as always.

It turned out Nico just moved to America from Bogotá, Colombia, joining family. He had family that went to  _ ISEP _ , giving him some awesome referrals, and his grades were high enough that he was accepted half way into the year. He was a grade below Virgil, and just getting used to everything. 

It also gave him time to actually observe the other, not focusing on much in particular. Nico had a somewhat thick Colombian accent, he rolled various syllables differently, and Virgil couldn’t lie, he found it- attract- nice. Yes. His jawline was angular, sharp, and it almost seemed contoured (it was probably contoured). 

Nico was also insanely flirtatious, and it threw Virgil off completely. The last time someone had flirted with him was in the summer before tenth grade, and that was someone in the cabin across from his own leaving a friendship bracelet. It wasn’t very romantic. 

Then, they had to part ways, which Virgil had thought would be the end of it- but somehow Nico coerced him to get his number. The senior student couldn’t remember the exact details, he had been distracted by the smell of the other’s cologne ( _ cologne— _ what type of bougie bullshit is that!). It smelled like a mix of cinnamon and something sweet, reminding the emo of apple pie. 

Throughout Virgil’s third period, his phone vibrated, and it was particularly difficult for him to concentrate on Mathematics when he had this abnormally attractive person actually flirting with him, and outwardly showing some sort of romantic interest in him— forgive Virgil if he wanted to enjoy it a little. 

From the places beside him (don’t ask, Virgil wasn’t sure how or when they changed seats either, and when he sent Patton a questioning look at the beginning of the period, he just smiled and mimed zipping his lips closed) Logan would shoot an irritated look when the youngest pulled out his phone, and Patton almost silently tutted, while simultaneously hiding a grin at Logan’s actions.

_ Nico Nico Niiii - 11:20 _

_ I’ve decided I don’t like Ms. Thompson _

Virgil rolled his eyes. Ms. Thompson was a hardass, for sure, but he doubted Nico was doing anything to get on her good side.

_ Virgilicious - 11:20 _

_ pay attention to her class, you dingus _

_ Nico Nico Niiii - 11:20 _

_ It’s Spanish! I’m from Colombia! I know _

_ her basic conjugations! _

_ Virgilicious - 11:20 _

_ prove it, nerd _

_ Nico Nico Niiii - 11:21 _

_ I’m wounded by your words, handsome  _ _ Sir _

_ Virgilicious - 11:23 _

_ suffer.  _

The bell rang, causing Virgil to jump and almost drop his phone. Logan quirked an eyebrow, looking at least a little amused by the near misfortune. They were both already packed up, ready to go for lunch, and waiting on Virgil, though he didn’t really understand, they seemed to actually want to befriend him, which was… it was nice. 

“ _ So _ ,” the eldest began, “who’re you texting?”

“Remy,” he bluffed. 

“Is that your partner?” Logan questioned. 

Virgil snorted, and immediately shook his head, standing up now that all his items were safely placed in his bag. “Remy is my older brother.” 

“Why were you blushing while texting your brother?” 

Well— shit. “You caught me, but you don’t get to know the person’s name.” He put a finger up to his lips. 

Patton pouted as he hooked his arm around Virgil’s, and doing the same with Logan, who seemed less perturbed than what the emo expected, and they were dragged out of the room into the hallways. 

 

“Where are we going-?” Virgil dared to ask, after wandering the halls, arm in arm with Patton. Logan had broken the chain a few minutes ago, scribbling in a small notepad he got from God knows where. 

“Patton likes to take the ‘scenic’ route to our lunch spot. We will be reaching it momentarily.” Logan supplied. 

True to his word, they turned the corner to find a small table surrounded by a couple walls of windows. It was well lit, and pretty, and it was entirely surprising Virgil never found it. He loved photography and it would’ve been great for portraits. Roman had beat them there, which, if they truly went through the scenic route, would make sense. 

“Hello, friends!” Virgil noted that Roman rolled R’s similarly to Nico, less prominently, but it was there. 

“”Hi, Ro!” Patton greeted happily, taking a seat across from the dramatic teenager. 

Logan sat beside Roman with a slight nod of the head, and Virgil found himself being gestured to take a seat as well, which he hesitantly obliged to. He knew he enjoyed the group, but it still felt like he was intruding sometimes (no one looked outright mad when he sat down, so that was good, right?). 

_ Nico Nico Niiii - 11:24 _

_ Rude! _

_ Nico Nico Niiii - 11:26 _

_ Where did you go I’m lonelyyyy _

_ Virgilicious - 11:31 _

_ i’m at- lunch?? _

_ Nico Nico Niiii - 11:31 _

_ I see- I must have forgotten since _

_ you’re such a snack _

Virgil covered his mouth with his hand, hiding a smile the comment had caused, feeling his face warm slightly. Patton seemed to be trying his best to not read over Virgil’s shoulder as he did so. 

“Remus came to visit last night,” Roman complained, his hands thrown into the air. 

“Oh no! What happened this time?” That was Virgil’s cue to tune out once again. 

_ Virgilicious - 11:35 _

_ oof. thanks- but like how??? _

_ to do that??? _

_ Nico Nico Niiii - 11:40 _

_ I don’t know what you mean _

_ Virgilicious - 11:41 _

_ yes you do, you liar _

_ Nico Nico Niiii - 11:43 _

_ Maybe I do, ;) _

_ Virgilicious - 11:43 _

_ what’s your favourite colour? _

_ Nico Nico Niiii - 11:45 _

_ Red maybe? Or grey. What’s yours? _

_ Virgilicious - 11:45 _

_ purple.  _

“Virgil,” He jerked up from his phone, hearing Roman and Patton harmonizing his name. 

“... yes?”

Logan pinched the bridge of his nose. “They’ve been doing this for… three minutes now because you zoned in on your phone.”

“Oh- sorry about that… uh-”

Luckily, Roman took that chance to jump in and prevent Virgil from fumbling about and embarrassing himself, as he was prone to do in social situations. “What could  _ possibly _ be more important than me!”

“Try ‘who’,” Patton corrected, smiling innocently at the (dramaticized) look of betrayal given to him by Virgil. 

The theatre geek did look intrigued, though, “Who was it who charmed Not-So Tall, Dark, and Moody?”

Virgil bit the inside of his cheek. “I’m tall,” he diverted. 

“Nope.”

“Falsehood.”

“Incredibly incorrect.”

“Fine- I’m not ‘tall’,” He conceded, pulling his hoodie up to hide the small smile that wormed onto his face. Couldn’t let these losers think he liked them. Preposterous. “But you still don’t get to know who I’m texting.”

Apparently that was invitation for Patton to- for lack of a better word- glomp Virgil, hugging the shorter in the most awkward embrace ever, since he didn’t like hugging to begin with, and because Virgil was a solid head shorter than him. 

He sent a ‘help me’ look to Logan, who simply shrugged with the slightest hint of a smirk. Roman couldn’t contain how great he thought the scene was, taking photos on his phone while laughing jovially. 

“Roman, I swear to the Gods—” Virgil threatened, a breathy laugh removing any intimidation factor he may have had. 

… okay, he would keep the trio as friends if they’d let him stay in the circle. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi!! i wrote this in like- two days and i struggled immensely trying to get it done just because i didn't know how i wanted nico to be. i hope you enjoyed, and if you catch mistakes, feel free to yell at me because i haven't gotten to my beta yet. 
> 
> comments and kudos are nice! 
> 
> \- jey

**Author's Note:**

> this is unedited because my friend took too long and i wanted to post it. here's the beginning of a story though!


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